The many strategic and tactical benefits of Operational Readiness and Transition (ORAT)

When opening new facilities at airports, there are opportunities to ‘get it right’ and risks in getting it wrong’. Operational Readiness and Transition (ORAT) is a programme of activities to address the readiness and improvement of operations while providing tactical and strategic benefits to an airport and airline when they open new facilities. Early engagement is a key differentiator to how and when many new facility projects have been initiating ORAT in the past. Rather than waiting until the erection of new terminals (and other facilities), early engagement allows for ORAT during the planning phase of projects to capture the strategic benefits. ORAT provides a formalised approach to address how a new facility should be designed and constructed by development of a comprehensive concept of operations that includes new or improved key performance indicators (KPIs) for carryover into the design criteria. It also incorporates asset management and life cycle costing into the planning activities. The goal is to avoid operational change orders and higher operational costs over the life cycle of equipment being installed without full cost assessments. Readers will be able to understand the purpose of ORAT and strategic benefits of early engagement in the planning of new facilities and the potential pitfalls of not incorporating an ORAT programme into facility projects.